Rashmika Mandanna’s The Girlfriend sparked a viral moment when a woman replicated a symbolic dupatta-removal scene in theatres. Director Rahul Ravindran shut down claims that the moment was staged and called out the gendered biases behind the criticism
Rashmika Mandanna in The Girlfriend
Rashmika Mandanna's The Girlfriend hit theatres last week and has been receiving rave reviews. The film, directed by Rahul Ravindran, also stars Dheekshith Shetty. It follows a young woman breaking free from a toxic relationship. The film has resonated with many young women, who are calling it inspirational. Amid this, a video of a young woman replicating a powerful moment from the film after watching the movie in theatres has gone viral.
Rahul Ravindran slams netizens questioning viral moment
As the video of the young woman recreating a scene where Rashmika removes her dupatta as a symbol of freedom went viral, director Rahul addressed the accusations behind the moment. The incident happened in front of the director, who was visiting theatres to witness audience reactions. Some people on social media questioned whether the moment was scripted or genuine. Rahul Ravindran hit back at one user who raised doubts about the audience’s reaction.
Taking to his X handle, he wrote, “I didn’t want to react to any of this so as to not draw more negativity towards the girl. But the accusations keep getting more and more baseless. Firstly, 20 minutes before reaching this theatre, we were trying to decide between two different theatres and weren’t even sure we would go to this one. I now wish we hadn’t. We had no idea who was sitting where, let alone planting someone. So no, this is definitely not a PR stunt. Whatever happened was purely spontaneous,” he wrote.
I didn’t want to react to any of this so as to not draw any more negativity towards the girl. But the accusations keep getting more and more baseless. Firstly, 20 minutes before reaching this theatre… we were trying to decide between two different theatres and where we should… https://t.co/eohxBhzGUg
— Rahul Ravindran (@23_rahulr) November 14, 2025
He added, “Secondly, I was a bit worried about putting that video out because of this exact reason — that a section would target this girl. But I was rushing to another theatre, and the team said she was okay with it. I feel terrible for her. Lots of strength to her. Keep expressing yourself bravely, young one. Stand up against hate. Thirdly, the film isn’t asking anyone to take off or keep on their chunnis. It’s a personal choice. In the film, the chunni is a metaphor, not a literal instruction.”
Rahul Ravindran questions hypocrisy in society
Rahul also questioned why the same people who are moral policing the girl do not question men who take their shirts off to celebrate big moments. “Lastly, this situation is an opportunity for many of us to introspect and check our biases. One girl taking off her dupatta as a symbolic gesture has sent a small section of people into a meltdown. It suddenly becomes a matter of ‘preserving culture’ for them. I wonder why nobody gets triggered when men rip open their shirts before action scenes. I’m not saying they should get triggered — that would be silly. I’m only questioning micro-biases. Nobody bats an eyelid when men take off their shirts to celebrate a sports victory, on New Year’s Eve, or while dancing. And nobody should — it’s beautiful to see happy people express themselves.”
He questioned why this burden of “preserving culture” is placed only on women. “Let me get even more basic. How come many from this section don’t walk around in dhotis every day? Why switch to trousers? Why tweet in English if culture matters so much? These questions sound stupid and tone-deaf, don’t they? Then why hold women to a different standard? I hope those asking whether a film like The Girlfriend is relevant today are observing the behaviour of this section. They’ll find their answer.”
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